Sports collector files lawsuit against Giants, Eli Manning

January 30, 2014|The Sports Xchange

A sports collector filed a lawsuit against the New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning alleging they created fake "game-worn" football memorabilia in order to pass it off as real and sell it, the New York Post reported Thursday.

The allegations, which are part of a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Eric Inselberg in Bergen County Superior Court, include charges of civil racketeering, breach of contract, malicious prosecution and trade libel, and claim that Manning participated because he wanted to keep certain items for his personal collection, according to the Post article.

The Giants denied the allegations.

"The suit is completely without any merit whtasoever and we will defend it vigorously," said the team in a statement. "We will not otherwise comment on pending litigation."

Manning made a statement on Thursday afternoon.

"The Giants told me this suit is completely without merit and I have no reason to believe otherwise. The Giants are going to fight it and so will I," Manning said.

Inselberg was indicted three years ago for memorabilia fraud after he was accused of selling fake game-worn jerseys. But those charges were dropped by federal prosecutors in 2013 after his defense team told a Rockford, Ill., court that Giants employees had lied to the grand jury in order to cover up this alleged doctoring of jerseys so they would appear to have been used.